


Crown of Golden Leaves

by Jubokko



Category: Naruto
Genre: 60-minute Fic, Anbu Umino Iruka, Anbu Yamato | Tenzou, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Discord: Tenzō's Cabin, Honoring the fallen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mokuton, Sadness, Tenzō is a Wonderful Human Being
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27919600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jubokko/pseuds/Jubokko
Summary: The mokuton cradled the body of their fallen teammate, dark oak glistening in the rain. Even in the darkness, Iruka could see the red stain of the sapwood as it bent and twisted upwards.. . .The tree's leaves were golden and beautiful, drooping slightly beneath the sky's barrage, but nonetheless an honorable memorial to the lost.It found its way into Iruka’s dreams after that, a stoic reminder of his legacy.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka/Yamato | Tenzou, Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou, Umino Iruka/Yamato | Tenzou
Comments: 16
Kudos: 45
Collections: Found Family 60-minutes





	Crown of Golden Leaves

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HazelBeka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazelBeka/gifts).



> _Additional Warnings in the **Endnotes**!!_
> 
> For my dear friend, [HazelBeka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazelBeka/pseuds/HazelBeka), whose writing never ceases to make me laugh and cry and leap for joy~ an inspiring human who also happens to love horror *does a happy dance.*  
> I hope you find this fic to your liking. ❤️
> 
> ~Written to [Bury My Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7tEO5Hqwhs) by Peter Gundry and [B.S.B.D.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEIESyMlVjs) by Kim Planert.
> 
> This fic is for the [Tenzō's Cabin](https://tenzoscabin.tumblr.com/post/633593713011146752/join-the-tenz%C5%8Ds-cabin-discord-server) 60-min fic exchange! I did not have very much time to do anything beyond superficial editing, so please be kind to me! 
> 
> Enjoy! ❤️

The first time Iruka saw the tree appear, it was dark outside, and the world was bathed by a storm’s earnest tears. Water rattled against the pale porcelain shielding his features and weighed down the ANBU protective vest, peppering any exposed skin with its icy touch. 

Somewhere off in the inky-blackness lay the corrupted minds—the men and women who had reigned hell upon the Leaf’s outer districts. 

Once, they had ascended the rooftop of the local daimyo’s residence, fists pumping into the air as they declared dominance and ruin to the free world—promising ruin to anyone who stood in their way. 

They would never speak again. 

Scarlet rivers moved slowly between his feet, gradually washing downhill, a silent testimony to Team Aki’s success. 

Lifeblood dripped from the ninjatō in his hand. Iruka watched the droplets fall through half-lidded eyes, the glittering red trails urged on by nature’s impassioned grief. He felt empty, as if a void had opened up and swallowed his thoughts, leaving both mind and body to the mercy of an insatiable sense of emptiness. 

He attributed it to exhaustion.

But a part of him knew it was his conscience; the knowledge that he now bore blood on his hands. Days of innocence ended with the stroke of a blade— _his_ blade. 

In the ANBU corps, there were no bodies, no transportation of the fallen, no ceremony or formality for Konoha’s deadly, invisible hands. 

There were only the tags, the precious metal identification numbers stitched into the armor’s inner layers, waiting to be carved out after death by a teammate. 

A hand pressed one such tag into Iruka’s palm as the mokuton sprouted from the ground, dark oak glistening in the rain as the wood cradled the body of their fallen teammate. 

Even in the darkness, Iruka could see the red stain of the sapwood as it bent and twisted upwards. 

The tree's leaves were golden and beautiful, drooping slightly beneath the sky's barrage, but nonetheless an honorable memorial to the lost. 

  
  


Tenzō fell into Iruka’s arms later that night and refused to let go, face buried in Iruka's chest, moving only once Kakashi returned, shifting slightly so that they all could share warmth and take comfort in one another. 

The tree found its way into Iruka’s dreams after that, a stoic reminder of his legacy. 

* * *

The next time Iruka watched Tenzō create a mokuton tree, it was after a mission failure.

They’d come too late. 

Armor clanking in the near-silence, Iruka fell to his knees, a hand bracing the porcelain facade that hid his tears from the world. A friend: that was who he’d just lost, a boy he’d known since his very earliest, childhood days. A brother. 

Tenzō squeezed his hand and whispered condolences, then made the hand-signs that would forever change nature’s will, bending the terrain to his will. 

The tree was the same as the last, yet different in its construction and detail, a separate personality. Even as Iruka watched, tears blurred by sorrow, a small bird alighted on one of its uppermost branches and began to sing. 

Iruka allowed himself to become lost in the way that its golden leaves danced, glowing in the light of the red sunrise. 

Tenzō pulled the mask from Iruka’s face and dabbed at his tears. 

* * *

The roar of battle had long since faded from the scarlet-stained tundra, leaving a silence in its wake that left his ears begging for release— _anything_ to punctuate its oppressive blanket. 

He lay face-down, mask cracked and broken, armor torn and scattered across the battlefield like hidden gems sparkling in the twilight air. He could feel the cold breeze against his skin and the chills it inspired, but all sensation seemed to blur out of focus at his right hip where his own ninjatō had pierced his body. 

Iruka felt fingers press his neck and gently roll him to the side, a hand cupping his nose. 

He exhaled into Tenzō’s palm, breathing shallow and labored. 

The bark moved hypnotically in and out of view, a lengthening shadow in his ever-darkening eyes, heartwood and inner bark pressing at his body and gently nudging him over. 

“Hold on—” 

“Team Ro is—n th—way.” 

“Hold on—Ir—ka—” 

The words echoed in the hollow chamber. 

As Tenzō gently moved his body beneath Iruka’s head, Iruka let his eyes move upwards to the small circle of light high above.

“The leaves… aren’t gold.” He whispered. “Why?” 

Tenzō hummed softly, a sound that seemed distant. Iruka felt a soft prickling sensation spread down his wounded side, and a green glow filled the air. He closed his eyes against the discomfort, exhaling in an attempt not to cough. 

“They won’t turn gold.” 

Iruka felt the soft kiss on his forehead and leaned into the gentle embrace, darkness already filling his vision. 

_“They don't need to.”_

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to say a huge thank you to [42](https://booleanwildcard.carrd.co/) for giving this a quick glance to help me sort it into an appropriate rating/tag set. 
> 
> My [Tumblr](https://akumu-jubokko.tumblr.com/).  
> .
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this fic! As always, any and _all_ comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! 
> 
> . . .  
> . . . 
> 
> **WARNINGS** : blood, death, grief and mourning, little bit of an ambiguous ending that walks the line of MCD (major character death)~ the answer, however, may be found in the context. ❤️


End file.
